Summary/Translation: Nishio Ishin Special Presentation (2011)

The first of three Kizu films will grace Japan’s screens in January next year…
Anyone remember when it was originally meant to be released?

In commemoration of a date finally being announced for Kizumonogatari—well, for the first of the three Kizu movies—here’s an old translation/summary I finally updated: the Nishio Ishin Special Presentation on nico, broadcast online on September 15, 2011. To this day, I think this has not been included on any of the BD/DVD releases, though I believe you can still find it on nico. That’s where I first watched it, which is why there are a few mentions of nico viewer comments that the MC, Yoshida, doesn’t mention. This updated summary combines the twoposts I wrote on Animesuki, and adds a few other details here and there. My comments are in the [square brackets] as usual.

Opening narration (Araragi)

Apparitions are what make up our world, so unlike living things, they are connected to the world. You can’t shine a light on them with the tools of science alone. Just as a human that has been attacked by a vampire will continue existing forever, even if there is no darkness in this world that cannot be illuminated, darkness itself will never disappear.

MC

Yoshida Hisanori

co-host, Oshino Shinobu [er…she was ‘responsible’ for the character-design pics, I think. The reporters in live attendance cannot see her, so there’s a HUGE contrast with the explosions on nico. Yoshida mentions that he’ll be in keeping with the mood of the online viewers, and asks that everyone in the room look on his strange behaviour kindly…]

Cast members

(from the middle somewhere)Kitamura Eri (KitaEri) and Iguchi Yuka (Yukachi), and one other unexpected guest…

Opening comments

Yoshida notes that around 96,000 people have already tuned in on nico-live, and that they think that the venue is full of ‘old geezers’. After the cast enters, it’s up to 144,000.

In inviting the cast’s opening comments, Yoshida adds that Kamiya is currently the most enviable guy in the vicinity.

When Chiwa Chiwa is talking about whether Hitagi is a ‘tsundere’ or ‘tundra’, she notes instead that what she remembers and loves most is “tore”, and nico viewers promptly showed their approval with “tore tore tore tore” in the comments, intersped with “tundra” and the occasional “stapler” (Chiwa Chiwa: that’s a wonderful item too)

When Katou Emiri is talking, the comments go along the lines of “why aren’t you biting your tongue?”, to which she comments “I won’t!” [almost doing so in the process!]

Kana-chan notes that she feels really nervous, like she’s attending an interview (actually, when she popped into a coffee shop earlier, the table behind her had someone in the middle of an interview for a part-time job). Yoshida calls her an angel, referencing Angel Beats [i.e. 天使ちゃんマジ天使 ^^], and she’s like “that’s got nothing to do with this, right?”

For Hocchan, the nya tongue twister and all the nyas are one of the two things she remembers most about Hanekawa.

Reflections on Bakemonogatari

They changed the ‘setting’ of the room to the park surround by apartments (Mayoi Snail arc), i.e. it was projected onto the walls – it looks really cool. Hocchan explains “I love multi-flat apartments!” and the nico commentators kept repeating it straight away, leading Yoshida to ask: “it’s not a fetish for multi-flat apartments, is it?” “No, they were just really impressive” (Kamiya).

They move on to discussing the theme songs for the show. For Hitagi’s opening song – Chiwa Chiwa was told to “make it cuter!” Since they hadn’t really started recording, she was wondering why because she only know of the Hitagi in the earlier episodes – so you can think of the song as being sung by Hitagi after she’d changed. She’d also thought that the opening would change with each character, so she was surprised and pleased to hear it in some of the later arcs.

Emirin was surprised when she first sat down to listen to Mayoi’s song. She’d thought that the lyrics sounded really lonely, so she wasn’t expecting the music to sound so cheerful. The OP animation, too, seemed to go completely against the darkness that seemed characteristic of Bakemonogatari, so she was wondering how her story would end up. The first thing Yoshida in response: “I was waiting for you to bite your tongue and trip up, but you made it through to the end…” Emirin: What?!

Miyukichi had a lot of fun with Kanbaru’s lines, because she thought that it’d probably be the first and last time she could say things like “girls also have an interest in sex” and “(I’m) Araragi-sempai’s sex slave” (she was like, “what? ‘sex slave’?!”).

Kana-chan‘s scary side…

Yoshida: Rather than bright and happy – I mean, in the way that Mayoi is bright and happy – Nadeko really has the heart of a young girl in love.

Kana-chan: Yes, I feel that way too. I think that meg rock’s lyrics are really…really…good. (She says this rather hesitantly, and the other cast members LOL) And the word play is really fun, and the tune is really cute too. Also, it’s like a rap, right?

Yoshida: Yes-

Kana-chan: I really had to think about how to do that.

Yoshida: “Really had to think…” Somehow, when I look at you, I get the feeling that you’re doing a “this company version.”

Kana-chan: I have no idea what you mean. [said pretty forcefully.]

Yoshida: Really? Are you sure? For one second, you seem to have become a completely different character, you know.

(laughter)

Yoshida: Well, Nadeko really is cute and endearing because she tries her best, but being attacked and constrained by the snake must have been really tough.

Kana-chan: Oh yes, that scene. When I was voicing Nadeko, I was always thinking that she must have hated it, being constrained like that, and that it must have been so painful; wondering if she’d stumble and so on. That’s really pitiful, isn’t it?

Yoshida: Here, I’d like to ask Kamiya-san, who was in the same studio, what his impression was. As a reporter, what would you say?

Kamiya: She was really cute.

(laughter)

Kana-chan: what is that!?

(nico erupts: wwwwwwwww)

Kamiya: It’s not sexual harassment! From a work pov!

(nico: Kamiya, don’t harass Kana-chan!)

Yoshida: That’s right. He saved you in the end after all, right?

Kamiya: I’m being serious when I say she was really cute.

Yoshida: So the official comment is “in all seriousness, she was cute.” Thank you very much.

[Kana-chan IS scary when she gets going. I’m sure most people have already seen the video — an extra from Kannagi vol.2 — where Tomatsu Haruka films her going off at the staff tasked with planning the DVD extras, but just in case you haven’t…]

To finish off this section, Yoshida comments that the final opening, Hanekawa’s, was slightly different in the BD/DVD version when compared to what was shown on TV. Hocchan felt that the song really got to the heart of Hanekawa…but what she remembered most fondly was pondering each week (with meg rock via SMS) whether it would actually show up at the start of the episode!

[For those who don’t remember the horror of SHAFT’s non-existent production schedule, the incomplete version of the Tsubasa Cat OP finally showed up in episode 14, which was released online in February 2010, FOUR entire months after episode 13. And the final episode showed up another four months later…]

And…the Kizumonogatari part starts…

…but Yoshida doesn’t have anything that he’s meant to say as MC! Why? Because Sakurai enters here, to the great surprise of the rest of the cast (and Yoshida too it seems? It wasn’t scheduled because he wasn’t sure he’d be able to make it). Kamiya, in particular, turns around and:

(And all the comments on this nico video are like: ‘LOL’, Kamiya looks like he feels a lot more at home now that Sakurai’s here!)

They played the Kizu PV…and the reactions in the room were divided between applause and…cringing. And the nico comments were all about “spatter”…

For most of the seiyuu, this was the first time they’d seen anything from Kizu. Only Kamiya, who’d been asked to record for Araragi the previous week, knew a little – though all he was told was “breathe heavily, as if Koyomi is really really tense and frightened.”

The Nisemonogatari announcement is next (and nico viewers go nuts)

Obviously, this is where KitaEri and Iguchi Yuka enter, with their trademark “I’m Karen!” “And I’m Tsukihi!” They’re really glad to finally have their own series, after having mostly appeared in the episode previews for Bakemonogatari.

They show all the characters’ new looks, and the cast/audience is meant to try guessing who they are. Well, it’s not much of a game, but only Mayoi hasn’t changed! And when Kanbaru comes out, someone exclaims “her butt (is showing)!” Miyukichi identifies her, saying “Araragi-sempai’s sex slave”, to which Kamiya goes “you don’t have to say that!”. She also mentions that she’s glad that Kanbaru’s wearing something at least… Nadeko’s new appearance (e.g. the fact that she’s not using her hat or hiding behind her bangs) is also linked with how her character has changed… Same with Hanekawa.

There are no new designs for the guys (well, Meme doesn’t even appear in Nise, right?) but Kamiya says that he feels pained on Araragi’s behalf that Hanekawa has changed her hairstyle. On the other hand, Sakurai thinks they all look good (Kamiya: “What are you, some old geezer?!”), and that their characters probably haven’t changed all that much. Meme was the first character he’s played who’s actually around his real age, so Sakku quite likes him, and really wanted to see what he’d look like for Kizu.

Closing comments (well, the amusing ones, anyway)

Yoshida notes that, by this point, 319,000 viewers have checked in online.

Kamiya: “When I think about returning that that studio, about being kicked around all over the place again in that incredibly tense atmosphere, half of me is cheering, the other half is like ‘oh god!’ Though the ‘oh god!’ side is winning at the moment (laughs).” Hocchan later agrees with him, though she expresses her fear and anticipation in an incredibly feminine way.

Chiwa Chiwa uses “tore” again, sending the online viewers crazy [you can see the comments beamed around the room in the image above: “8888888888888888888888” “Chiwa-chan!” “Amazing!” etc] though the reporters in the room are diligently taking notes.

Emirin is looking forward to teasing Araragi again ^^.

KitaEri and Yukachi play off each other once more – though they note that they can’t really go beyond one or two lines each without the script (lots of wwwwwwwwww from viewers). Yoshida jokes that they’ll eventually be able to continue even by themselves!